Read Mandarin
HSK 4 · Upper Int.

快递小哥Kuàidì XiǎogēThe Delivery Rider

HSK 4 reading practice · 144 words · ~2 min
jiā楼下lóuxiàde快递kuàidìzhàn每天měitiān早上zǎoshangliùdiǎnjiù开门kāiménle
The delivery station downstairs from my building opens as early as six every morning.
sòng快递kuàidìde小哥xiǎogēxìngWáng大家dàjiādōujiào小王Xiǎo Wáng
The rider who delivers the parcels is surnamed Wang, and everyone calls him Xiao Wang.
不但búdàn记得jìdeměigerénde名字míngzi而且érqiě知道zhīdàoshéijiā白天báitiān没有méiyǒurén
He not only remembers everyone's name, he also knows whose home is empty during the day.
无论wúlùn刮风guā fēng还是háishi下雨xià yǔměitiāndōu准时zhǔnshí出现chūxiànzài我们wǒmen楼下lóuxià
No matter whether it's windy or raining, he shows up downstairs on time every day.
yǒuzài开会kāihuì箱子xiāngzifàngzài门口ménkǒuhái短信duǎnxìn告诉gàosu
Once, when I was in a meeting, he left the box at my door and even sent me a text to let me know.
wèntiānyàosòng多少duōshaojiàn快递kuàidìxiàozheshuōliǎngbǎiduōjiàn
I asked him how many parcels he has to deliver in a day, and he said with a smile: more than two hundred.
duì来说láishuō网上wǎngshàngmǎi东西dōngxi只是zhǐshìdiǎn一下yíxià手机shǒujīduì来说láishuōshìcóngzǎopǎodàowǎndetiān
For me, buying something online is just a tap on my phone; for him, it's a day of running from morning till night.
所以suǒyǐ现在xiànzài拿到nádào快递kuàidìde时候shíhouzǒnghuì认真rènzhēndeshuōshēng谢谢xièxie
So now, whenever I take a parcel, I always make a point of saying a sincere thank you.
🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

快递kuàidìexpress delivery; parcel
小哥xiǎogēyoung guy (friendly term for a rider)
准时zhǔnshíon time; punctual
出现chūxiànto appear; to show up
短信duǎnxìntext message
白天báitiāndaytime

Grammar note 语法点

不但……而且…… — not only… but also…

不但 introduces the first fact and 而且 adds a second, stronger one about the same subject: 他不但记得每个人的名字,而且知道谁家白天没有人。

他不但会说汉语,而且说得很流利。— He not only speaks Chinese, he speaks it very fluently.
无论……都…… — no matter…, still…

无论 is followed by a choice or a question word, and 都 in the second half says the result never changes.

无论多忙,他都会给家里打电话。— No matter how busy he is, he always calls home.
对……来说 — as far as … is concerned

对……来说 marks whose point of view you are taking, and is often used twice to contrast two people: 对我来说……;对他来说……。

对孩子来说,暑假是一年中最快乐的时候。— For children, the summer holiday is the happiest time of the year.

Check yourself 小测验

1. What time does the delivery station downstairs open each morning?
2. What did Xiao Wang do when the author was in a meeting?
3. How many parcels does Xiao Wang say he delivers in one day?
Fei — Mandarin teacher
After this reading

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